#NEVERDO: Kickboxing

After many years of being “just a runner” and continuously training for marathon after marathon, I woke up and realized that all of this movement in the forward direction caused me to become pretty one dimensional. And only in one direction. Slowly.

So I decided to make a change in 2018 and find out what else sparks joy in my heart and try all sorts of new activities. The first order of business was getting with my mini-me and asking her what all she wanted to try. We pulled out the computer and pulled up Groupon. Yep, that’s where this all starts. There are so many random activities that you can get Groupons for to try something out. We made our list and will be trying to tackle this list over the year.

That’s how this insanity began.

The alarm went off at 4:45 and I briefly considered rolling back over. Had I seen the current temperature outside, I would have probably done just that. But Linda was waiting. Linda NEVER skips. Linda is NEVER late. I both hate and love that about her.

I thank the heavens a little that I was smart enough to pack my bag last night and laid out my clothes so I could throw it on and go. Run into the kitchen to warm up my Meat and Sweet Potato mini pie that we made Sunday and fed Miles the cat. The alarm is going off literally every ten minutes to remind me to get the heck out of the house on time. The bracing 28 degree air about bowled me over, but I ran to the car instead of back to bed.

Kickboxing. What the hell was I thinking???

The lights are bright and the gals at the front desk are way to chipper for 5:30am. But Linda and I run into Susan, a running friend! This social media thing is kind of funny. You never know who you might bring along on this crazy train when you just post that you’re doing it. She is here for her first class!

The class begin with close to 20 minutes of boot-camp style hell. I mean, burpees and squats and mountain climbers and jumping things that 40-something year old women who have had kids really shouldn’t be doing. You know why… 😉 It’s finally over, just as you are thinking that one more burpee might actually send you to your grave.

Time for the gloves. I mean, that’s why you’re there, right? We start off with a small combination of some sort, I recall that it had a cross and an upper cut. Simple enough, even when my brain is still back in dreamland (aka, my nice warm bed). Each of the combinations are done in one or two minute intervals, as many as possible until you hear the sound to stop. Then the combinations start including a bunch of roundhouses and jabs and kicks. My inability to do Zumba is evident – I just really struggle with trying to quickly remember four or five moves and not look like a lunatic just flailing about. I look over and Linda seems to be getting it. I’m just dying. But I look at the screen and we’ve been at it for like 47 minutes, which means this hell, I mean this class, is almost over.

We spend the next ten minutes doing fast partner drills. Linda and I are just dorks and watching the others to try to mimic them. Good thing we have a sense of humor. And that it’s nearly over because I am pretty much a sopping wet, sweaty disaster. A little stretching to end the class and it’s time to rush home to see my sweet girl before school. Sean asks how the class was (I mumble something about pretty sure I died a few times) and then asks if I’m going to take a shower. I’m pretty sure it’s like being offered a breath mint. If someone offers, always take it – it could be a hint.

Never in a million years did I think I would ever find myself in a kickboxing studio. But everyone at the studio is so welcoming. Almost like a cult. I should be worried. 😉 Linda and I paid for a 5-class special package, so we will be there to finish out the classes, but I’m not sure this is a long-term thing for me. It’s a fun workout, super high-intensity, and I burned about 500 calories in the hour workout, according to my heart rate monitor. It’s pretty expensive – I think it’s $180 or so per month and you have to sign up for six months. That’s a whole lot of race fees and I just don’t see myself going to enough classes every month to make it financially make sense. Besides, this is a year of trying lots of new things, so I need to keep my schedule open…